1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a milking equipment comprising a milking member having teatcups and at least one milk hose connected to the milking member. The invention also refers to a relief device for a milking equipment, which comprises a milking member, having a claw with a milk outlet nipple and teatcups connected to the claw, a milk hose connected to said milk outlet nipple, and a stationary support member, which has a vertical support shaft and an essentially horizontal support arm, which at its one end is connected to the support shaft and which at its other end carries at least a portion of the milk hose.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Freely walking cows are usually milked in a particular milking stall twice a day. Such a milking stall has a number of compartments for cows to be milked and is provided with a floor which is lowered in relation to the compartments and on which the milker may stand upright during the work with the attachment of the teatcups of a milking member to the teats of a cow. In order to enable the teatcup attachment, the milker keeps the milking member suspended by his one hand, wherein the arm is relatively extended in such a manner that the milking member is located in an appropriate position beneath the udder of the cow at the same time as the milker by his other free hand attaches the teatcups to the teats. However, the milker is in course of time subjected to the risk of getting stress injures in the arm used to lift the milking member and in the shoulder of this arm, since the milking member is relatively heavy and it may be a great number of cows to be milked at each milking occasion. A conventional milking member, having four teatcups and a claw, has a weight of usually about four kilos. In addition, the milker has to lift a portion of the milk hose, hanging from the claw.
It is previously suggested to provide devices which may overcome the problem of stress injures of the kinds defined above For instance, SE-B-331 611 discloses a support for the teatcups of a milking member, comprising a horizontal linkage member 5 having holders 8 for the teatcups. Thus, the support holds the milking member suspended in such a manner that both hands of the milker are free for the handling of the teatcups. However, the known support is relatively complicated and expensive and has not been commercialised.
DE-B-1278 166 discloses a support device comprising a horizontal cylinder 3 with a piston rod 4, wherein the piston rod has a free end intended to carry a milking member. The cylinder 3 is adjustable vertically by means of a vertical piston-cylinder member. However, this known support device is complicated and seems to give the milking member an insufficient freedom of movement beneath the udder of a cow when the teatcups are attached.
US-A-3 789 798 discloses an automatic teatcup remover having a horizontal support arm 32, 33, which at its one end is attached to a vertical shaft and which at its other end is arranged to carry a claw 45. Also this known teatcup remover is complicated and give the milking member an insufficient freedom of movement when its teatcups are attached.